Verse: Acts 7:57-58; 8:1
57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul…And Saul approved of their killing him.

Thoughts
When I read this passage this morning, this one verse hit me like a ton of bricks: “And Saul approved of their killing him.” Wow. In case you are unfamiliar with this, “Saul” later becomes “Paul” who ends up writing most of the New Testament letters.

Think about that. For the rest of his life, as he was preaching about Jesus, telling others to follow Jesus, standing up in synagogues and explaining Jesus from the scripture, he knew in the back of his mind, that he had approved of murdering other believers. Imagine that.  How hard would that have been to deal with?

I want you to really think about this, and then I want you to think about anything in your life that causes you shame, regret, or guilt. Is there anything you’ve done, or continue to do, that you regret or feel ashamed of? Do you have anything in your past that you wish you could “do over” and change? I know I do.

What if this one small verse, “And Saul approved of their killing him” is in there for you and me? What if the Holy Spirit prompted the writer to put that detail in there so we would know, 2000 years later, that Saul/Paul had a terrible past. And yet, he was able to find freedom from his shame, forgiveness and healing from his past, and step into the future God had for him. In fact he is the very person who wrote this: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). No condemnation. None. Let that truth touch your heart.

Today, if you are struggling with guilt or shame or regret, can you pause, and take it to God? If Saul can tell us that, because of God’s forgiveness, there is no condemnation for us in Christ, then it must be true for us. It must be true for you. There is nothing too bad for Jesus to forgive. Let him “in” to your worst moments. Allow him to heal your sin and your mistakes. Bring him your shame and let him wash it away. Confess your guilt to him and let him ease your conscience. Allow his love to conquer your past.

Prayer
Thank you that you’ve done it all for me Jesus. I receive your love and forgiveness and healing this morning. I respond with gratitude and praise to your amazing gift of salvation.

Author: Christian Dunn